10 Marvel Villains (& Who Their Pokémon Partners Would Be)

Marvel supervillains are always looking for any sort of advantage they can gain over their superhero counterparts. Whether it be a new powerful weapon, power, or accomplice, these villains will stop at nothing to gain that one thing that will take them over the top.

Related: 10 Marvel Villains That Should Have Shown Up In The MCU Already (& Still Could In Phase 4)

If these villains ever happened to crossover with the wonderful world of Pokémon, they would each have drastically different opinions in which Pokémon species they would wish to capture and train. Here are ten Marvel supervillains and who their Pokémon partners would be.

10 Taskmaster - Mr. Mime

Taskmaster of the Marvel comic book world is famous for his ability to mimic any superhero's fighting style. From Captain America to Black Panther, Taskmaster can perfectly replicate all of these heroes', and sometimes villains', fighting moves.

In much the same way, Mr. Mime is known for his ability to use the mimic attack against other Pokémon he is fighting. These similarities make Taskmaster and Mr. Mime the perfect trainer/Pokémon duo.

9 Quicksilver - Manectric

Quicksilver is essentially the Flash of the Marvel Universe. The one big difference being that Quicksilver is often a supervillain within the world of Marvel. There is no Marvel character that even comes close to matching Quicksilver's top speeds, be it in the comics or the film adaptations.

Similarly, Manectric is one of the fastest Pokémon to ever debut in the fictional world of the wild pocket monsters. Because of this, there would be no better trainer for the little creature than Quicksilver himself.

8 Doctor Doom - Mewtwo

Every decision that Doctor Doom makes in the Marvel Universe seems to always bring him one step closer to ultimate power. He will do whatever it takes to finally become the ultimate superhuman so that he can take over the world.

Related: Thanos vs. Doom: 5 Reasons Thanos Is Marvel's Number One Supervillain (& 5 Why It's Dr. Doom)

Mewtwo is the ultimate Pokémon and, much like Doom, is very intelligent. Doctor Doom and Mewtwo are both antagonists who are slightly motivated by good intentions, even though they both do many bad things regardless.

7 Mystique - Ditto

As one of the greatest, most mysterious villains in all of the X-Men's history, Mystique lives up to her namesake. With the ability to take on the appearance of anyone she chooses, Mystiques enemies can never see her coming.

Ditto has a very similar ability, as this cute little Pokémon can turn into any opponent that it is fighting. In this way, Ditto and Mystique are exactly the same. That's why Mystique would certainly feel the compulsion to pick Ditto as her Pokémon.

6 Viper - Arbok

The former leader of Hyrda and part-time Captain America villain, Viper, loves herself some snakes. She has joined a team called the Serpent Society and has abilities that relate to the small, slithery creatures.

There is one snake Pokémon that stands above the rest and would probably make for the best partner for Viper. As the evolution of Ekans, Arbok has been around since the very first generation of Pokémon, making it the classic Pokémon snake and one that Viper would be desperate to catch.

5 Dark Phoenix - Moltres

A Marvel villain as cosmically powerful as Dark Phoenix needs a Pokémon that is on her level. The only class of Pokémon that even comes close to that power level are the legendary ones. There is one legendary monster that matches the Dark Phoenix quite perfectly.

Moltres is one of the three legendary bird Pokémon and is also a fire-type. These two aspects combined make Moltres appear almost like a phoenix. Side by side, they would be a very terrifying duo to face off with.

4 Loki - Zorua

Loki, the god of mischief, is known for his dishonest trickery. He can always be caught coming up with some sort of dangerous scheme or dastardly plan. The animal most often associated with trickery is the fox. One fox Pokémon embodies this aspect and serves as a great little pocket monster.

Related: Loki: 5 Reasons Why Introducing Kang Is A Good Idea (& 5 Why It's Not)

Zorua would be great with Loki, who would not want some super powerful legendary Pokémon. That's what Thor would pick. Loki would want an unsuspecting little trickster that could go under the radar and help him in his schemes.

3 Kingpin - Snorlax

While at first glance he may appear to be a very fat man, the Kingpin's massive girth is actually mostly made up of muscle. Through training in several different fighting techniques, Wilson Fisk has learned how to use this weight to defeat his opponents in hand-to-hand combat.

If he chose a Pokémon, Kingpin would want to pick one that he could teach these attacks/methods in order to make it a better fighter. The perfect monster for that is none other than Snorlax.

2 Magneto - Magneton

Magneto is the master of magnetism. Over time, the X-Men enemy has been able to perfect these gifts. In choosing a Pokémon to train, Magneto would no doubt want to stick with what he knows and pick one that also has magnetic abilities.

The final-evolution Pokémon Magneton would fit the bill quite nicely for Magneto. As a final evolutionary form, Magneton can become quite powerful and also has the same abilities as Magneto, which would add to their teamwork and trainer/Pokémon bond.

1 Thanos - Giratina

Thanos is Marvel's number one baddie. He has made it his mission on several different occasions to achieve ultimate power so that he could destroy the universe. There would be a few different things Thanos would be looking for when choosing a Pokémon: Something that is extremely powerful and could also further his aims.

The legendary Pokémon Giratina fits both of those categories. Known as the antimatter Pokémon, Giratina is sort of an anti-creation/anti-life Pokémon. It is also one of the most powerful legendary monsters to ever debut in the franchise. Thanos would love both of those aspects of the legendary creature.

Next: X-Men: The 10 Craziest Uses of Domino's Mutant Power, Ranked

Next Wolverine: 5 Costumes That Made Him Look Cool (& 5 That Were Just Lame)

About The Author

Michael Austin is a freelance writer who graduated from Iowa State University in 2019. You can check out more of his work at: Facebook.com/michaelaustinwriter Twitter.com/mikeswriting

More About Michael Austin

10 DC Villains (& Who Their Pokémon Partners Would Be)

The many villains of the DC Universe come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. From Catwoman to Darkseid, all kinds of different individuals are represented in the DC comic books. These many unique villains have diverse interests and would make drastically different decisions if offered the same sorts of choices.

Related: 5 Reasons Darkseid Is DC's Numer One Supervillain (& 5 Why It's Anti-Monitor)

One of the best aspects of comic books and fictional worlds is seeing them crossover into other properties. Although DC comics and the world of Pokémon have yet to collide, it is fun to postulate about what that amalgamation might look like. Here are ten DC villains and who their Pokémon partners would be.

10 Catwoman - Espeon

There are many cat Pokémon that Catwoman can choose from. Out of all of them, there is one creature in particular that perfectly captures all of the vital aspects of Catwoman's character. That Pokémon would be, of course, Espeon.

Although it is known as the sun Pokémon, Espeon has a mysterious aura and personality that gives it an interesting mystique. Catwoman is much the same way, while sometimes a criminal, there is a mysterious edge to her that keeps readers and heroes guessing.

9 Ocean Master - Gyrados

The brother of the king of Atlantis, Ocean Master has long vied for the right to the throne. His brother, the Justice Leaguer and superhero Aquaman, has been able to keep Ocean Master from taking over. This is no easy task considering Ocean Master's powers that reflect his namesake.

If he were to have a Pokémon, that monster would need to be one of the biggest, most menacing creatures to ever appear in the series. It would also need to be a water-type, for obvious reasons. The one pocket monster that fits all of those requirements perfectly is none other than Gyrados.

8 Joker - Gengar

The Joker's sadistic smile is one of the scariest sites in the entire DC Multiverse. As soon as someone sees it up close and in person, they instantly become aware that their very mortality is at imminent risk.

Related: DC: 10 Best Joker Voice Actors, Ranked

There is one Pokémon that has a very similar smile to the Joker's. That Pokémon would be the ghost-type Gengar. Gengar takes after Joker not just with his smile, but also with its purple color and overall creep factor. That is why Joker would choose Gengar over all of the others available in the wild.

7 Deathstroke - Scizor

There are very few hand-to-hand combatants that are as masterfully skilled as Deathstroke the Terminator. He can take on anyone in the entire DC Universe and has even gone toe-to-toe with the Batman on several occasions.

Scizor is a perfect match for the DC assassin. Just look at this entry's picture – even their poses are the same. Facing off with either in close quarters combat would not end well for most combatants.

6 Harley Quinn - Mimikyu

Harley Quinn is sort of a cracked mirror version of her former lover and partner in crime, the Joker. While at one time she was Joker's loyal partner and girlfriend, now Harley Quinn runs amock as a sort of anti-hero in the DC Universe.

Related: Bye Harley Quinn: 10 Ways Joker's New Girlfriend, Punchline, Is The Complete Opposite

Just like Harley Quinn is to the Joker, the most popular supervillain of all time, Mimikyu is a cracked mirror version of Pikachu, the most popular Pokémon of all time. His odd, slightly cute yet slightly creepy appearance would be just the type of thing that Harley would fall in love with.

5 Clayface - Muk

It is pretty easy to see why Clayface might be attracted to a Pokémon such as Muk. They both share very similar physiologies to one another. This choice in pocket monster wouldn't be made simply out of familiarity, however. It would be a tactical decision.

Given that their physiologies work in very similar ways, Clayface knows how to best direct Muk's abilities in order to do the greatest amount of damage. This makes Clayface the perfect trainer to take a middling Pokémon in terms of power like Muk and make him an absolute Poké-superstar.

4 Reverse-Flash - Zeraora

As the Flash's greatest enemy, the Reverse-Flash has made it his mission in life to finally become faster than his adversary and then use that speed to utterly destroy him. If he were to choose a Pokémon to train, Reverse-Flash would certainly want to pick one that is nearly as fast as him.

Zeraora is by far one of the fastest Pokémon in all of existence. His speed is lightning quick and would garner even the Reverse-Flash's respect. Out of all the quick Pokémon, this is the one that the Flash villain would go for.

3 Brainiac - Deoxys

The pairing of these two characters makes all the sense in the world. The planet conquesting alien supercomputer that is Brainiac would settle for nothing less than a legendary Pokémon as his companion. What Pokémon could possibly be a better fit than Deoxys? The answer is none.

RELATED: 10 Things Fans Forgot About Brainiac

Deoxys, much like Brainiac, arrived on Earth with unknown origins and a very impressive intellect. No other character suits the Superman villain better.

2 Darkseid - Mewtwo

Darkseid settles for nothing less than total domination. As the leader and god of Apokalips, Darkseid has amassed a massive army in the hopes of eventually spreading his rule across the galaxy. When it comes to his underlings, he accepts nothing less than the absolute best.

That is why Darkseid would inevitably choose Mewtwo. Like Darkseid, Mewtwo is one of the most powerful beings in his respective universe. The two would make for an amazing pair.

1 Anti-Monitor - Giratina

The Anti-Monitor comes from the Anti-Matter Universe. His sole purpose seems to be to consume the entire mainstream DC Universe and totally destroy it. Believe it or not, the Anit-Monitor actually has a Pokémon very similar in nature to himself.

Giratina is not only a legendary Pokémon but one of the strongest of all time. This makes his power level similar to Anti-Monitor's. More importantly, Giratina is the physical manifestation of antimatter in the Pokémon universe. There is not a closer pair to be found between a DC villain and a Pokémon creature.

Next: Darkseid: 10 Things DC Fans Should Know About the Anti-Life Equation

Next Wolverine: 5 Costumes That Made Him Look Cool (& 5 That Were Just Lame)

About The Author

Michael Austin is a freelance writer who graduated from Iowa State University in 2019. You can check out more of his work at: Facebook.com/michaelaustinwriter Twitter.com/mikeswriting

More About Michael Austin

Pokémon, Stay

I am a little figure on a big green map.

I’m wearing an orange jacket and a luchador-style wrestling mask with pointy ears, the outfit of my avatar in Pokémon Go, the augmented-reality smartphone game in which you catch, collect and evolve tiny monsters for points and prestige.

All around me, stretching to the horizon, there are no-go zones. The grocery store I should avoid because of social distancing. The playground where parents are being advised not to let their toddlers touch the equipment. The city park where Brooklynites craving fresh air have been coming too close for comfort.

My avatar radiates a small circle around it, denoting the distance at which you can activate in-game features. (Suddenly, the concept of having a circle radiating from your person â€" six feet to be precise â€" is universal, and a lot less whimsical.) The fig ure stands on a single, long rectangle, the house I live in. And that, pretty much, is where I stay.

If you’ve ever played Pokémon Go, you know the problem here. Unlike so many video games, this one was designed to get you off your couch, make you move and bring you into the world. If you want to advance and find rarities, you need to wander and explore. To get the balls, potions and eggs you need (I could go into detail; I won’t), you visit “Pokéstop” stations and “gyms” placed at local landmarks.

If you don’t go anywhere, you don’t get anywhere. “Go” is in the name, after all. And yet here we are, in the era of Stay.

Before Covid-19, my continuing Pokémon Go habit was just a mild embarrassment. It was the ultimate dad move to still be playing a game that became a pop-culture sensation in 2016, when Hillary Clinton joked ab out getting voters to “Pokémon Go to the polls.”

Now the app is one more reminder of what we’ve lost â€" the casual ability to just go places and have real-world experiences, including the ones mediated by an augmented-reality game.

Pokémon Go had been a constant low-key part of my life, an ambient presence in the back of my head as I moved about the world. On city bus rides to school, I would pass off my phone to my son so he could catch Drowzees and Eevees for me on the trip. I do not hand around my phone so casually anymore.

I’d open the game while on a morning run or at rest stops on family road trips. When I traveled, it was a kind of alt-GPS that I would use to discover new cities. I collected Pokémon the way other people would collect souvenir snow globes. A trip to Miami for a book fair netted a region-specific Corsola. Visiting Mexico City to give a lecture in February, I went running in Tlalpan National Park and finally nabbed a long-coveted Heracross.

The game even has a social aspect of sorts, a “friends” feature that allows you to trade in-game “gifts” with other players. I have friends in New York, elsewhere in America, in Europe and Asia. I hope they’re doing well; the game allows for no communication except gift-giving.

Lately I don’t go out and collect many gifts, so I don’t send many. The world, once a delightful bounty of serendipity and lucky finds, is now a scary place to retreat from.

One silly game experience, of course, is hardly humankind’s greatest loss at the moment. But this is part of what the pandemic does: It makes even harmless, time-wasting aspects of life into ominous, sad triggers.

Before our great sheltering, people woul d often bemoan that screen entertainments were replacing “real” experience. If anything, this has firmed my belief that virtual experiences are, in their own way, absolutely real. When you lose them, along with the physical world they’re layered over, the loss is undeniable.

Once upon a time, the makers of Pokémon Go mainly had to worry about reminding ardent users not to trespass or crash the car while on the hunt. Now, they’re making it easier for us suddenly homebound players to amass a stash of balls, hatch eggs with less walking and lure critters while sheltering in place. A recent news alert in the app promised “updates to Pokémon Go features and experiences that can be enjoyed in individual settings.”

It’s nice. It helps. It also helps that there are ways of playing without leaving home, like a “battle league” feature that allows you to pit your Pokémon ag ainst other monster teams from around the world.

But that’s not the game. The game is catching them all, hunting, exploring, moving. My weekly progress meter â€" which measures my walking for in-game rewards, in communication with my Apple Watch â€" would regularly log over 50 kilometers in a typical week. Last week I barely cracked 20. (Mostly, I assume, nervous pacing.)

Still, I play. I see what creatures are lurking near my house. Occasionally, I see if the coast is clear and dash down the block to spin my local Pokéstop. In a stressful time, even the attenuated game is a distraction and a comfort.

But it’s also a reminder of what Pokémon Go used to give me, and the one thing it can no longer deliver no matter how much it tweaks its code: the whole wide world.

Pokemon Go maker Niantic acquires 3D world-scanning software company 6D.ai

6D.ai's 3D meshing of environments can unite shared AR worlds.

6D.ai

While few actual AR headsets exist at the moment, the race to scan and map the world using AR technology is already heating up. Niantic, maker of Pokemon Go and collaborator with Qualcomm on a future AR headset design, has just acquired a company that enables collaborative AR world maps to be shared.

6D.ai is a company that specializes in building out 3D world meshes that multiple people can share and keep building on. While Apple's newest iPad uses new lidar tech hardware to better mesh and map the world through hardware, 6D.ai can do things like this without needing specialized hardware. The system creates an infrastructure that headsets or phones can share data, like a crowdsourced AR toolkit. 6D.ai has already partnered with Qualcomm, too.

"Together, we're building a dynamic, 3D map of the world so we can enable new kinds of planet-scale AR experiences," Niantic CEO John Hanke said in a statement. "This means we're even closer to an AR platform that will unlock the ability for any developer to make content for current and future AR hardware."

An example of how people can collaborate to 3D-scan a space. (Imagine this with future Pokemon Go.)

6D.ai

Microsoft has been exploring its own world-mapping AR through phone games like Minecraft Earth that future evolutions of HoloLens could use, while Google is building out AR through its search and Maps tools, while Facebook is aiming to map out the world, too. Magic Leap's vision of a digital mapping of reality follows a similar path.

6D.ai has been working on impressive demos of its AR tech that the company has shared online and Niantic looks like it's planning to use these tools to build out a deeper multiplayer AR world map that layers onto our existing one in a lot greater detail. These are exactly the types of things that need to be built before a true killer AR headset arrives.

Now playing: Watch this: Pokemon Go: Get ahead without really trying

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Pokemon GO: Niantic Making Major Updates Due To COVID-19

KEY POINTS

Niantic details the updates the will come to "Pokemon GO" to make it easier to play at home

Other games such as "Harry Potter: Wizards Unite" and "Ingress" are also set to receive major updates

Niantic, however, did not specify when the updates will be implemented

Niantic, the creators and developers of the popular interactive game "Pokemon GO," is making major updates to make their titles more friendly and appropriate during this health crisis brought by the coronavirus pandemic.

While the company has previously announced its plan to make "Pokemon GO" easier to play inside the house while people are in quarantine, it is only recently that they provided a detailed plan on how they will make the game and their other releases more quarantine-friendly.

In an announcement on their blog, Niantic revealed that "Pokemon GO" players will soon be able to stay in touch with each other through an improved in-game virtual social feature. This also means that friends can soon take on raids together even while at home.

"Pokemon GO" will also soon take a huge part in keeping players healthy and busy throughout the quarantine period. According to their release, the game will track a player's steps indoor with Adventure Sync, which will count toward game achievements. With this, activities like cleaning the house and running on a treadmill, will beneficial while playing.

The American game developers also hinted about "an entirely new way to enjoy Pokémon GO Fest." While they did not mention any specific change they will make for the live event, Niantic noted that they will reveal the details soon.

Other Niantic games such as "Harry Potter: Wizards Unite" and "Ingress" are also set to receive major updates in lieu of the coronavirus pandemic.

For "Harry Potter: Wizards Unite," there is an increased amount of content near the players on the map, which will allow players to see more "Spell Energy, more iconic Harry Potter content, and rare potions ingredients" to help them progress even while at home.

As for the "Ingress" game, "portals are now tuned to encourage at-home play." It also revealed that the need to interact with multiple Portals has been reduced.

It is worth noting, however, that Niantic did not mention when these changes will hit live servers and be implemented. However, players can assume that it will be coming sooner rather than later given the situation surrounding the coronavirus crisis.

As of writing, there are over 855,000 coronavirus cases in the world. The US remains the nation with the most number of infected, totaling to more than 186,000. Governments and health officials continue to suggest self-isolation and quarantine, with most even imposing lockdowns.

Pokémon Go is expected to add an official competitive league for players next year in 2020. Developer Niantic is hard work at hammering out the details. Photo: Niantic

Pokemon Go Landorus: Weaknesses And Best Counters

Landorus, the third and final member of the Forces of Nature trio from Pokemon Black and White, has finally arrived in Pokemon Go. The Legendary Abundance Pokemon will be available until 1 PM PT / 4 PM ET on April 21, so you'll only have a limited time to capture it. If you're hoping to add one to your collection before it leaves the game, we've rounded up some tips on how to battle and catch Landorus below.

How To Find Landorus Landorus

The most common way to encounter Landorus is in Gyms as a five-star Raid. While the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has made it difficult to physically travel to one of these Raids, Niantic has temporarily doubled the distance from which you can interact with Gyms, and it will soon roll out an option to participate in Raids from home.

Beyond that, Landorus will also be available as a Go Battle League reward encounter. You'll have a chance to catch the Legendary Pokemon if you are able to hit rank 4 in the Go Battle League PvP mode. You normally need to walk 5 km before you can participate in the Go Battle League, but Niantic has dropped that restriction given the current circumstances.

Landorus Weaknesses And Counters

Landorus is a Ground/Flying Pokemon. This unique combination means certain types that normally have an advantage over Flying Pokemon--such as Electric and Rock--only deal neutral damage to Landorus. Similarly, while Grass Pokemon are normally strong against Ground types, they'll only do neutral damage to Landorus thanks to the fact that it's part-Flying.

However, Landorus's typing opens up a glaring weakness to Ice Pokemon, so you'll want to stack your team with monsters like Mamoswine, Glaceon, and Weavile when challenging it. Water Pokemon like Kyogre, Suicune, and Gyarados also have an advantage over Landorus, so you can round out your team with those for your best chance to defeat the Legendary.

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'Pokémon Go' April Fool's Day Event: Start Time, Shiny Croagunk & More

April starts off with a bang in Pokémon Go, with a new event featuring the debut of a Pokémon from Unova and two more Shiny forms.

Pokémon Go's April Fools' Day event focuses on the Pokémon that are "jokesters," meaning those Pokémon you'd normally find in the main games disguised as something else or ones that like to play tricks on trainers.

Some of the Pokémon that will see an increase in wild spawns include: Gastly, Haunter, Voltorb, Ditto, Sudowoodo, Aipom, Croagunk, Foongus and Stunfisk.

Stunfisk is making its long-awaited debut in so the Ground-and-Electric type will be available in various ways during the event. Not only will it appear in the wild more frequently, but it'll also hatch from 5km Eggs - along with Croagunk, Aipom, Wynaut and Bonsly.

To learn everything there is about the 2020 Pokémon Go April Fool's Event, including its start time, keep on reading.

POKEMON GO APRIL FOOL'S EVENT START & END TIME

The 2020 Pokémon Go April Fool's Event starts Wednesday, April 1, at 8 a.m. and runs through Tuesday, April 7, at 10 p.m. local time.

SHINY CROAGUNK

The new Shiny Pokémon debuting during this event is Croagunk. Like other Shiny Pokémon in the popular mobile game, trainers will need to encounter it before finding out if they've found this rare form.

Croagunk will appear more frequently in the wild, hatching more frequently from 5km Eggs, and will appear in Level 1 Raids.

There are also two new Pokémon that will appear when using Go Snapshot. Aipom is one, while the other is Croagunk. The new Shiny can also be found in a Research Task - more on that below - which makes the Poison and Fighting-type Pokémon obtainable five different ways during the event.

POKEMON GO APRIL FOOL'S EVENT RESEARCH TASKS

There are four new Research Tasks that trainers can accomplish during this event. Three of them include Pokémon encounters with Croagunk, Sudowoodo and the debuting Stunfisk as prizes.

Here's a list of new Research Tasks:

Catch three Ditto - Croagunk

Give your Buddy Pokémon a treat - Sudowoodo

Earn three candy walking with your Buddy Pokémon - Stunfisk

Catch three Voltorb - Poke Ball (x3)

POKEMON GO APRIL FOOL'S EVENT RAID UPDATE

The latest Raid update in Pokémon Go brings more of those "trickster" Pokémon into Boss Battles alongside various Ghost types.

Here's the full list of Raid Bosses in the latest event:

Level 1

Level 2

Sudowoodo

Misdreavus

Sableye

Level 3

Alolan Muk

Gengar

Banette

Level 4

What do you think of this latest Pokémon Go event? Let us know in the comments section.